Infant Mental Health Awareness Week: seeing the world through babies eyes

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week will be held from 7 – 12 June 2020, aiming to promote awareness in the broader community of the importance of babies’ emotional wellbeing and development. 

The early childhood education and care (ECEC) community have been invited to join with others in sharing the work they are doing in this domain, and in raising awareness of the importance of the first months of life in establishing a strong foundation for early childhood development. 

“Infant mental health matters now more than ever” a spokesperson from the Australian Institute for Infant Mental Health (AAIMHI) said, noting the importance of protecting and promoting infant mental health during this difficult time in society. 

“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis on families is putting some babies’ emotional wellbeing at risk and limiting the ability of vital services to support them” the AAIMHI spokesperson continued, calling on decision makers to do more to protect and promote babies’ emotional wellbeing and development. 

This year’s theme is a play on the concept of 20/20 vision, and is “2020 vision: seeing the world through babies’ eyes”

Using the theme as a catalyst, the following topics have been suggested for reflection and promotion: 

• What babies are seeing now?
• How is the current world affecting babies and their relationships and wellbeing?
• How is the current world affecting babies’ mental health?
• What are the strengths and challenges babies see for them right now and into the future?

And when one sees the world through the eyes of a baby, what does one think will change:

• For self?
• For the baby?  
• For policy makers?

A range of supporting resources to assist early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in the promotion of Infant Mental Health Awareness Week are available here, including posters, podcasts, articles for reflection and position papers. 

An events calendar has also been provided to assist ECEC services to connect up with other local organisations. 

More information about Infant Mental Health Awareness Week is available here.